Make Ahead

Hudson Valley Tsimis

January  6, 2011
4
4 Ratings
  • Serves 6 to 8
Author Notes

My family has traditionally served Tsimis at all of the Jewish Holidays. Traditionally it is made with Orange Juice and Honey. I decided why not use Maple Syrup. That followed with my using Lemon Juice instead of Orange because I thought it was a better mix with the Maple. My mother has been dead for 13 years making me the family Tsimis maker. This was the best Tsimis I ever made. Because it keeps and improves we usually make the Tsimis the day before and reheat it in the oven. - judith@hudsonvalleycooking —judith@hudsonvalleycooking

Test Kitchen Notes

Hudson Valley Tsimis is divinely delicious! A sweet and savory stew of beef, dried fruit, and root vegetables, tsimmes (AKA tsimmis, tzimmes, zimmes) is a classic of eastern European shtetl cuisine. Judith@hudsonvalleycooking has created a magical version, sparkling with lemon, fresh ginger, and maple syrup. The recipe requires an hour and five minutes of stovetop cooking, followed by 30 minutes in the oven. Judith recommends refrigerating overnight and reheating before serving. Because the short ribs I used weren't fall-off-the-bone tender at the end of the prescribed cooking time, I cooked the meat and the juices for 3 more hours the next day in the crock pot. This finished the short ribs to perfection. Judith's maple syrup-ginger-lemon juice formula is likely be terrific with other meats -- chicken, turkey, pork -- and even fish. I plan to try making "Hudson Valley" turkey breast soon. —AppleAnnie

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Ingredients
  • Oil to barely cover the bottom of your pot
  • 3 pounds flanken or short ribs
  • 1 inch pieces fresh ginger
  • 1 piece cinnamon stick
  • 3 onions diced
  • 4 lemons, zest and juice divided
  • 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ ? slices
  • 8 carrots, approximately 1 pound, peeled and cut into ¾ ?rounds
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 1/2 cups sweet prunes
  • 1 cup dried apricots
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. . In a large shallow casserole heat the oil and brown the Flanken
  3. Add the chopped onions, whole ginger, lemon zest, cinnamon stick and boiling water to cover the meat.
  4. Cook covered for about 45 minutes and add sliced sweet potatoes. Arrange them over ¼ of the surface of the meat, either in a wedge or a circle.
  5. Cook covered for another 20 minutes and add the carrots, prunes and apricots filling in the rest of the top. Mix together the lemon juice, grated ginger and maple syrup and pour over the top.
  6. Bring to a boil, cover and put into the oven for about 30 minutes. Baste with liquid every 10 minutes. Poke underneath to make sure the meat is tender. If it is take it out of the oven. You can eat it now but it will be better tomorrow.
  7. Allow Tsimis to cool and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature and return to the oven. Once it is warm remove the cover so the Tsimis begins to glaze.
  8. If there is a lot of liquid remove it with the baster to a small pot cooking until you reduce the volume to half. Pour the reduced liquid back over the Tsimis and serve
  9. The timing of Tsimis is not critical. Once the meat and vegetables are cooked they will hold together because you are not stirring and doing the finally cooking with an open lid firms the edges of the carrots and sweet potatoes.
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5 Reviews

Beata January 11, 2016
I was wondering if salt was forgotten in this recipe or there simply is no salt required?
Use a little more fat, maybe even butter, and leave out the meat.
chelsea30 April 3, 2015
Sounds absolutely delicious, but I'd like to make a vegetarian version. Any suggestions? Thanks!
healthierkitchen March 2, 2011
This sounds like a terrific version! Sadly, I never learned how to make my mother's tzimmes and now she has Alzheimers. From my memory, this looks as close as I've seen to her method, although she didn't add dried fruit. Also, your version is such a nice update, using fresh ginger, citrus zest and cinnamon stick! I do have a very rough outline of her recipe that my sister-in-law wrote down some years ago, but I think I will try yours for Passover and see what everyone thinks. Thanks!
My mother used orange juice and honey but that is the only change from my family tradition. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if it works.